SANTA CRUZ — Doug Hughes, the Florida mail carrier who flew his gyrocopter through Washington before landing on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol to deliver letters to Congress, has roots to Santa Cruz.

Hughes, 61, was arraigned in court Thursday morning on charges of violating restricted airspace and operating an unregistered aircraft. The charges could potentially send the Ruskin, Florida, resident to prison for four years.

Hughes was released from custody at the discretion of a federal magistrate, who placed him on home detention once he returned to his Florida home, according to the Associated Press.

But before Hughes flew his gyrocopter through the nation’s capitol to deliver letters addressed to members of Congress calling for campaign finance reform, he was a teen who grew up along the shores of Santa Cruz beaches as the son of a prominent Santa Cruz political figure.

Born in San Mateo County, Hughes was one of seven children — five boys and two girls. The family lived on the 900 block of Walnut Avenue on the Westside of Santa Cruz, according to Sentinel archives.

Hughes attended Holy Cross High School in Santa Cruz before he graduated in 1970, the last graduating class before the high school was closed, said Geoffrey Dunn, a local historian.

After high school, Hughes joined the Navy and became an electrician’s mate third class aboard the USS Enterprise.

His father, Edward Hughes, was a teacher who taught elementary and junior college students over the hill, Dunn said.

His mother, Janet Hughes, was a large figure in the city’s political scene, which was largely conservative in the 1970s, Dunn said. Her politics veered to the right, said Dunn, who added she was a moderate who was pro business and opposed the liberal takeover. —— (c)2015 Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) Visit the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) at www.santacruzsentinel.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC AMX-2015-04-17T12:07:00-04:00